M Bhaskar’s 1978 movie ‘Bairavi’ gets the credit for bestowing the actor with the title.

The teaser for the new Rajinikanth movie Kabali closes with the words “Super Star” spelt out in blue lights, one alphabet at a time. This spelling lesson is tradition for anybody who has watched a Rajinikanth movie. It is a signal for audiences to break out into frenzy in the cinemas, and a reminder that what will follow is no ordinary movie, but a quasi-religious experience.

Rajinikanth plays an honourable mob boss in Pa Ranjith’s movie. The cast includes Mumbai actress Radhika Apte as his wife. The release date hasn’t been announced yet.

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The ‘Kabali’ teaser’.

Fans of Tamil cinema are fond of bestowing titles on their favourite actors (Ajith is known as “Thala”, or the boss, and the reigning star Vijay is known as “Ilayathalapathy”, or commander), but it took some nudging from far-sighted filmmakers and distributors before Rajinikanth came to be indelibly associated with the label, reveals Naman Ramchandran reveals in his authoritative biography on the actor. The story behind the crowning of Rajinikanth contains fascinating insights into image building and the creation of a celebrity persona in the decades before slick publicity and marketing campaigns and social media.

The first movie to use the honorific was M Bhaskar’s 1978 movie Bairavi, Ramachandran writes in Rajinikanth. The actor plays Mookaiah, the loyal henchman to a zamindar who turns against his master after he rapes Mookaiah’s long-lost sister.

Acknowledging Rajinikanth’s soaring popularity at the box office, the movie goes to great lengths to heighten his screen presence. “Rajinikanth’s entry is suitably heroic,” Ramachandran writes. “He enters the frame cracking a whip and then thrashes a thief who was stealing crops from his master’s land. At one point, Rajinikanth even uses a live goat as a weapon.”

The visionary distributor and producer who realised that Rajinikanth was no mere box office magnet but a phenomenon in the making was S Dhanu, who has also produced Kabali. Bairavi’s release on June 2, 1978, was preceded by a canny and high-decibel marketing campaign that was orchestrated by Dhanu, a tin manufacturer turned distributor. Dhanu had previously commissioned eye-catching posters for his releases, which were different in style and content from the official publicity material. For Bairavi, he put up a 40-foot cut-out of Rajinikanth at Plaza theatre in Chennai and printed posters in which “Superstar” Rajinikanth is seen wrestling a snake, standing with a whip and carrying a goat on his shoulders, Ramachandran writes.

One of the posters of ‘Bairavi’.

Rajinikanth reportedly cautioned Dhanu about appropriating the superstar title. The heavyweights of Tamil cinema, MG Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan, were still around, and Rajinikanth didn’t want them to come off as an upstart. “Dhanu’s response was to print another set of posters that said ‘The Greatest Superstar Rajinikanth in Bairavi’,” Ramachandran reports.

It was a matter of time before “Superstar” leapt off the posters and into the movie. The first film to use the label in its credits was Naan Potta Savaal in 1980, Ramachandran says. “At the beginning of the credits, Rajinikanth walks towards the camera while flower petals shower down upon him and the words ‘Super Star’ in Tamil flash in different colours.

The opening credits of ‘Naan Potta Savaal’.

Kai Kodukkum Kai, Mappillai and Rajadhi Raja are amongst the few films where the words Super and Star separately show on screen before Rajini’s name appears. Rajadhi Raja (King of Kings, 1989) has the self-referential song, ‘Superstar yaarunnu yettal chinna kozhandayum sollum’ (even a child will tell you who the real superstar is.

The lyrics were by leading Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu. “His image wasn’t created in a day,” Vairamuthu tells Ramachandran. “It was built up bit by bit.”

Why should inclusion matter to companies?

It's not just about goodwill - inclusivity is a good business decision.

To reach a 50-50 workplace scenario, policies on diversity need to be paired with a culture of inclusiveness. While diversity brings equal representation in meetings, board rooms, promotions and recruitment, inclusivity helps give voice to the people who might otherwise be marginalized or excluded. Inclusion at workplace can be seen in an environment that values diverse opinions, encourages collaboration and invites people to share their ideas and perspectives. As Verna Myers, a renowned diversity advocate, puts it “Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.”

Creating a sense of belonging for everyone is essential for a company’s success. Let’s look at some of the real benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace:

Better decision making

A whitepaper by Cloverpop, a decision making tool, established a direct link between inclusive decision making and better business performance. The research discovered that teams that followed an inclusive decision-making process made decisions 2X faster with half the meetings and delivered 60% better results. As per Harvard Business School Professor Francesca Gino, this report highlights how diversity and inclusion are practical tools to improve decision making in companies. According to her, changing the composition of decision making teams to include different perspectives can help individuals overcome biases that affect their decisions.

Higher job satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is connected to a workplace environment that values individual ideas and creates a sense of belonging for everyone. A research by Accenture identified 40 factors that influence advancement in the workplace. An empowering work environment where employees have the freedom to be creative, innovative and themselves at work, was identified as a key driver in improving employee advancement to senior levels.

Innovation

A research by Catalyst.org stated the in India, 62% of innovation is driven by employee perceptions of inclusion. The study included responses from 1,500 employees from Australia, China, Germany, India, Mexico and the United States and showed that employees who feel included are more likely to go above and beyond the call of duty, suggest new and innovative ways of getting work done.

Competitive Advantage

Shirley Engelmeier, author of ‘Inclusion: The New Competitive Business Advantage’, in her interview with Forbes, talks about the new global business normal. She points out that the rapidly changing customer base with different tastes and preferences need to feel represented by brands. An inclusive environment will future-proof the organisation to cater to the new global consumer language and give it a competitive edge.

An inclusive workplace ensures that no individual is disregarded because of their gender, race, disability, age or other social and cultural factors. Accenture has been a leading voice in advocating equal workplace. Having won several accolades including a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate equality index, Accenture has demonstrated inclusive and diverse practices not only within its organisation but also in business relationships through their Supplier Inclusion and Diversity program.

In a video titled ‘She rises’, Accenture captures the importance of implementing diverse policies and creating an inclusive workplace culture.